Process of effecting the separation of minerals.



No. 763,749- PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904 G. A. GOYDER & E-, LAUGHTON.

PROCESS OF EFFEGTING THE SEPARATION OF MINERALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 190a.

NO MODEL.

W EdzuzuzZZlj/zldzd Patented June 28, 1904,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ARTHUR GOYDER AND EDWARD: LAUGHTON, or ADELAIDE, 1

S UTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

PROCESS oF EFFEQTING' THE. SEPARATION O MINERALS.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,749, dated. June 28, 1904.

. Application flled August 6 i903. SerialHo.168,833- (No specimens-l v To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEoRen 'AR'rHUR GoYDER, analytical chemistpa resident of No.2 Pirie street, and'EDwARD LAUeHToN,company manager,a resident of Nos. 24-28 Currie street, Adelaide, in the State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented a certain new and usefulProcess of Effecting' the Separation of Minerals,.of which the fol-j taining a suitable solution-such, for example,

as an acidulated one-to which vessel heat may be applied,if required,in any appropriate manner. The result of the physico-chemical action which develops is the formation of gasbubbles adhering to particles of certain of the finely-divided minerals and causing such particles of certain minerals to rise to or near the surface of the solution. When the gas-bubbles reach the surface of the solution they burst, thus releasing the adhering partlcles, which being released sink toward the bottom of the vessel. In order to catch these disengaged particles, certain mechanical appliances are introduced into the vessel. These mechanical appliances, which overlie the bottom of the horizontal portion of the vessel where the separation of minerals takes place, consist of inclined planes or deflector-plates, which receive the impact of the rising particles and deflect them from one side or the other of theirverticalcourseupward. Intermediately between the inclined planes or deflector-plates are V-shaped troughs so disposed and arranged that their edges underlie the inclined planes ordeiiector-plates, with narrow spaces between them. The 'eifect is that as the gas-raised particles of minerals rise from the bottom of the vessel'they strike against the inclined under sides of the V-troughs and" of the defleeton plates and travel upward in an oblique dlrection and are guided through the spaces between the submerged troughs and deflectorplates to or near to the surface of the solution. The gas-bubbles then burst, and the disengaged'particles'of minerals sink vertically in the solution andare caught in the troughs, while the particles of other minerals which are not acted upon by the solution do not rise, but remain at the bottom o fthe vessel and are called tailings.

One of the solutions suitable for our purpose is a mixture of four per cent. of sulfuric end of the vessel is inclined upward and the. tailingsare moved by the rakes up this incline and are discharged at the end. The discharge end of the troughs is also inclined upward and the, concentrates are moved by the scrapers up thisincline and are discharged To these chains at the end. The deflector-plates do not extend over the inclined portion of thebOttom of the vessel, but the V -troughs extend beyond the whole length of the vessel.

In order that the invention may be properly understood, reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire apparatus. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken on the line 1 2 of Fig. i. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the apparatus, taken on the line 3 4 of Fig. 2.

E is a hopper for'feeding the pulverized ore into the apparatus.

L is a chute into which the pulverized ore will fall from the hopper E, such ehute-ex-- the tank or vessel A is horizontal throughout a portion of its len th, but is inclined upward at O toward the discharge end.

Underlying the horizontal portion of the bottom of the vessel A is a steam-jacket B or we aflue for the purpose of heating the solution in the tank or vessel A. Overlying (and at a short distance above) the bottom of the tank or vessel A are inclined planes or deflectorplates D, adapted to receive the impact of the gas-raised particles of ore which rise from-the bottom of the tank or vessel A and cause such particles to deflect or move'to one side or the other of theirnatural vertical course upward. Intermediately between the inclined planes or deflector-plates D are V-troughs C, so disposed and arranged that their edges shall under ie the inclined planes .or deflector-plates D, with small spaces R between them. The result will be that as the gas'raised particles of ore rise from the bottom of the tank or vessel A such particles will strike against the inclined under sides of theIV-troughs (J and of'the deflector-plates D and will be guided through the spaces R between the troughs and the de-. hector-plates to or near to the surface of the. solution in the tank-A. The gas-bubbles will there burst, and the particles which had been adhering to them will sink in the solution and be caught in the troughs C.

Certain mechanical devices for causing the finely-divided ore to travel along the bottom of the tank A are illustrated in the drawings.

A driving-shaft G is driven in any appropriate manner. On the driving-shaft G are keyed sprocket or chain wheels K, which Jmesh with endlessehains H, that pass under and over guide sprocket'or chain wheels K K.

' To these chains are attached transverse rakes F. (Shown only in Fig. 2.) The transverse rakes cause the finely-divided minerals to travel along the bottom of the vessel A, which minerals during their passage are acted upon by the solution contained in the vessel. The rate of speed-of the chains and rakes and the rate of feed of the ore into the apparatus will be adjusted to the requirements of the special kind of ore under treatment at the time, so that a maximum quantity of ore relatively to a good concentration will be passed through the apparatus. Similar sprockets P, with their meshed chains Nand scrapers M, are employed for withdrawing the concentrates from the V- troughs C. The tailings after they have been depleted of the concentrates. will be conveyedby the rakes F to the discharge end S, and the concentrates will be conveyed by the scrapers stant level by a perforated pipe or other convenient means. The solution may be recovered from the tailings and concentrates while washing in an ordinary manner.. We do not make any claim to the solution hereinbefore referred to, nor do we wish to claim any particular solution as essential to the working of the invention. I

' The apparatus is constructed of material not subject to considerable deterioration from the action of the acid or chemicals used and is preferably of copper. The vessel is. shown rectangular and may be horizontal, but is preferably partly horizontal and partly sloping upward, as shown in the longitudinal section Fig. 2. It will be sufiicient to mention that the apparatus shown in Figs. .1, 2, and 3 is about four feet across; but variations are permissible in the size, the height of the machine, the angles of the inclined planes and troughs, the width of the intervening spaces between the overlapping inclined planes and thetroughs, the spacingv of the rakes, and ether details.

. We make no claim to a process of separating metals from pulverized sulfid ores consisting inadding to the same an acid solution which is a non-solvent of the precious metals, then applying heatto the same, and removing the sulfids from the surface of the solution; nor do we claim a process of separating metals from pulverized ores, concentrates, and slimes by mixing an acidulated solution therewith which is a non-solvent of the metal to be separated, stirring, heating, skimming, or floating off such metals from the surface of the whole admixture as they are carried to the surface, so as to recover such concentrates of metal for after treatment; nor do we claim a method of separating sulfid ores from their gangue, which consists in forming a suitable solution containing sulfuric acid to react on the soluble sulfids present to form bubbles of sulfureted hydrogen on the ore particles, and thereby raise them to the surface and removing the ore particles so arranged, as such is not our invention; but,

What we do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a method of separating minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, the steps of moving the ore in a finely-divided state in a solution which by the production of gas causes certain of the minerals contained in said ore to rise; and deflecting and guiding them as they rise, substantially as described.

2. A method of separating minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, comprising the steps of moving the ore in a finelydivided state in a solution which by the production of gas causes certain of the minerals contained in the said ore to rise; deflecting and guiding them as they rise; and intercepting them in their subsequent descent, substantially as described.

3. A method of separating minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, which consists in introducing the minerals into a solution adapted to react upon the same, collecting below the surface of the solution such particles of the minerals as are raised by the evolved gas; and discharging them as concentrates, substantially as described.

4. A method of separating minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, which consists in introducing the minerals into a so lution which by the production of gas causes certain of the minerals contained in said ore' to rise; applying heat; directing the upward path of'the rising particles; and collecting 5. A method of separating minerals and ex-' I tracting some of them as concentrates, comprlsingthe steps of'movmg the ore 1n a solut1on which by the production of gas causes certain of the minerals contained in the said ore to rise; deflecting and guiding them as they rise; intercepting and collecting them in GEORGE ARTHUR GOYDER. EDWARD LAUGHTON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR GORE CoLLIsoN, V CHARLES N'IoHoLAs CoLLIsoN. 

